Customer Reviews

Your Body's Many Cries for Water: A Preventive and Self-Education Manual for Those Who Prefer to Adhere to the Logic of the Natural and the Simple in

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Without condescending to read it, I had pooh-poohed the idea of this book for years. "Who needs to be told to drink water?" I thought. "Everyone already knows that." Then one afternoon, by accident, I saw it on a reshelving cart at a bookstore, and flipped through it. My new reaction was, "Oh, my God!" There I stood, as a Ph.D. scientist, looking at the book I'd made fun of, and I felt like a fool as I read key sections in several chapters.

I bought two copies (one to underline, with marginal notes; the other to lend out), and read through it in one sitting, after which I looked up Dr. Batmanghelidj in Virginia and phoned him for an extended conversation. I found him very congenial, unpretentious and blazingly competent. Since that day several years ago I have recommended this book to hundreds of people, and I've provided free copies to many doctors, dentists and youth counselors.

Cocky, presumptuous health practitioners, even more arrogant than I had earlier been about this subject, find this book easy to dismiss if they haven't read it, and I identify with their foregone-conclusion mentality, having been there myself prior to understanding this book. To the rest of you, whether you believe you're knowledgeable about health issues or not, I can only plead with you to read this book and take it seriously. In my case, I had been repeatedly plagued by headaches and lower-back pain before reading it, but not once since applying its recommendations. The orthopedic section alone is worth the price of the book. If you know anyone with asthma, it would be tragic not to buy a copy of this for them.

In short, though I have read literally hundreds of books on health and nutrition, I consider this book to be, without doubt, one of the very few most important and immediately practical ever written.

This book was an interesting read and is worth reading if your library has a copy.

Maintaining good hydration is an important part of any health program, although other steps are also going to be necessary for almost all of us. Food allergies, high insulin levels from too many refined carbohydrates, chemical exposures and poor nutrient levels in food and many other problems all contribute to disease and must be dealt with in addition to drinking adequate water.

I wasn't at all convinced by the water cure testimonials given.

I must say I'm getting a bit tired of authors who claim that their one small specialty is the cure to everything! The water expert says all we need is water, the vitamin D expert says many diseases are caused by low D (and only recommends very low levels of other nutrient supplements) and the lipid expert says too much omega 6 is the cause of much disease and advocates high levels of omega 3 fats (and only recommends very low levels of other nutrient supplements) and so on!

The truth is that these recommendations all work best together, as part of a complete and balanced nutritional program that doesn't leave anything major out or leave you very low in any important nutrient. There is no one magic bullet. The body needs all the essential components to function well and be healthy and to heal disease. A lack of any of them will cause problems as every nutrient does everything, in the end.

I've been drinking lots of water for years, with extra unrefined sea salt and potassium, magnesium and calcium added to keep electrolytes in balance. I feel worse when I forget to drink my 3 litres or so, absolutely (and worse when I drink too much water too fast as well), and I know my body needs this much water, but this water intake is in no way a cure for my serious disease.

Readers should make sure to stay hydrated, but take the claims that water cures all ills with a grain of salt!

Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis)

Such a simple solution for my aches and pains. After trying the water drinking formula for several weeks, many of the nagging ailments and pains have dissappeared! Athelete's foot, lower back pain, abdominal bloating, constipation - gone! All that was needed was a good internal, natural flushing. I can't stop telling my friends and family.

I have to admit that when I started to read this I thought the guy was a crackpot. For starters his claims seem outrageous: that water can treat and possibly cure most medical problems including heart disease, MS, hiatal hernia, obesity, headaches, backache, some cancers, etc. etc. Plus his book is filed with numerous photocopies of testimonial letters from patients claiming to have been cured by his water prescriptions. There were enough letters (circa 1993 and apparently all of his patients used typewriters which certainly dates the work) that instead of them being a comfort, they seemed to hint at an insecurity... "I know you think I'm crazy but look at all these people who believe in me." It made the presentation look less than professional. It lacked confidence.

However, he backs up his claims with some fairly detailed explanations of how the body works and the number of ways water comes into play. It certainly appears to have solid scientific foundation. And even though I can't shake off the idea that he's a bit of an eccentric, the message is potentially too important to discard offhand. I think if you ignore this information, you do so at your peril. You certainly cannot be harmed by his suggestions - you can only gain. In a way this info is so basic that I would recommend reading this before picking up any other book about your health ... particularly those in the diet category. Read Batmanghelidj before Atkins for sure.

The one major downside is that he doesn't really spell out a regime for how much water you should consume or when. From the testimonial letters you can roughly estimate the requirement but he should definitely consider bringing this info out in future editions of this book.

For being such an outspoken pioneer this work deserves 5 stars.

I read the 1st Edition of "Your Body's Many Cries For Water" around April 1993. I found the book to be interesting, and the information the doctor shared made a lot of common sense. Prior to reading the book, I had been diagnosed with mild manic depression, and I had been taking Lithium for over 10 years. After reading the book, I began drinking MORE WATER. What did I have to lose? Also, I began taking a PATENTED multi-vitamin to make sure my body was absorbing minerals into my cells. If you're drinking a lot of water, it can cause a loss of salt and water soluble vitamins. Therefore, as stated in the book "You may need to increase your vitamin intake from foods or supplements, and you may need to add salt". I'm HAPPY to say that I weened myself off the Lithium after about 2 months of increasing my water intake and taking the UNIQUE multi-vitamins. I have CONTINUED this regimen and I have NOT needed to take the Lithium nor have I had to see a doctor for almost 9 years. My LIFE has been truly ENHANCED from reading this book. My suggestion is to read the book yourself. Remember the old adage "You can lead a horse to WATER, but you can't make him drink it"? What are YOU going to do??? I hope you decide to READ the book and then DRINK MORE WATER!!! It may make a difference in YOUR life as well...

I think Mr. Urologist (I wont use Dr.) has no clue what he is talking about. I have no medical degree and can tell you that what he is saying is asinine. Water intoxication, in most cases, is found in triathletes, marathoners, and military. It only happens when they have drank EXCESSIVE (generally over 200 ounces) amounts in a small period of time. This caused their sodium and mineral balances to go awry and they got sick or died. If the Pee Doctor had actually read the book, he would see that Dr. Batman talks repeatedly about adding sea salt to your intake if you have concerns about water intoxication.

I have had the following benefits from increasing my water intake to half my body weight in ounces per day, plus an additional 1.5 ounces of water for every 1 ounce of caffeinated beverages. (for me this is 128 ounces of water a day, I weigh 220 and drink one 12-ounce soda a day) Again, follows is a list of the benefits I have had, if you don't believe me you are foolish. I have no reason to lie.

no depression
more energy
sleeping better
skin more elastic and generally healthier (I am getting compliments about my face)
increased sense of well-being or doing something positive for myself
full, clear urine
full, regular excrement
no back pain (lower)
reduced knee/joint pain
less pain in my damaged ulnar nerve
eat less
feel tired less
awareness of thirst has returned (I don't eat or do something else instead)
less heartburn

The absolute most positive and main effect is no depression. I am entirely astounded at the postive effect this has had on my life. I have gotten off meds and will never return, for now I know the true answer. Meds are good to get you through a bad spot, but they will not relieve your depression effectively over a long period of time. This doesn't even consider the horrible side effects.

It is so clear that this is the healthiest thing that you can ever do for yourself (a close #2 is regular cardiovascular and muscle-building exercise). I personally commit that you will have increased health and mentality if you drink the correct amount of water for yourself. Also, consult Dr. Weil regarding the power of your mind towards your health.

Peace and good hydration to you all.

Thanks Dr. Batman!!!!!! you are a life saver. I hope your message gets to more and more people. I am now having friends come back to me stating how they are noticing differences for themselves. No one really believes it until it happens to them, and when my friends saw the sincerity I had about my improvement they tried it themselves.

Thanks again. You have truly made the world a better place.

Wow! Just follow the directions, drinking half your body weight in oz. of water daily and your improved health will amaze you!! Say you weigh 150lb., drink a minimum of 75 oz. of water a day. (More if you exercise extensively or if it's abnormally hot out.) It will eliminate excessive eating because you think you're hungry but really you're thirsty. It will get rid of any stomach/ulcer-type pains due to lack of water in your stomach during digestion (Dr. Batman. recommends drinking two glasses prior to meals.) You'll have a renewed wealth of energy. You'll lose weight without trying. You'll be able to think more clearly. The body just can't function properly if it lacks the fluid (WATER!) to move all the important stuff around, for cellular maintenance, growth and disease prevention. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Those who find it dry, miss the important life-saving message that goes beyond the typed text. It's worth the work to read it and ponder it until you understand. For healths sake!

Have you ever had a book change your life? This one did for me. I went from 325# on a 5'11" frame to 220# in 8 months after reading and realizing how I was depriving myself of the most basic element for sustaining life.

This book not only shows you how water cures weight problems but numerous other things and it just plain makes common sense. The author exposes how the medical industry ignores this simple cure with countless medications that have a multitude of side effects and don't work as good as plain old water.

The Author is a Medical Doctor and is not ignorant, he believes there is a time and a place for medication, but water fits the bill more often than not. The book is also a good read as the author describes how he cured thousands in a middle east concentration camp with the only thing they let him have....water.

I was privy to an excerpt of this book about sea salt added to water, along with increasing the amount of actual water taken during 24 hours as a remedy for asthma. I read the explanation of asthma and its relation to dehydration and found it quite compelling. I have recently developed allergic asthma from smoking. (I am now a recent non-smoker).

On one particular day, I was on day 3 of an incredibly difficult allergic response. Wheezing constantly, unable to sleep because my breathing was so compromised due to over-production of phlegm and mucous, constant coughing and congestion; I was in hell and ready to try anything.

So I tried this "water cure" and my experience was this:
Within hours, I was hacking up copious amounts of phlegm for the next 24 hours as the phlegm loosened its grip on my bronchii. I know that water would thin mucosal secretions but that didn't mean anything about expelling them from my bronchii. This time, I was actually expelling great amounts of phlegm from my chest instead of a constant, non-productive coughing and horrible wheezing.

My breathing did improve but it still wasn't 100% mostly due to the fact that my body was still over-producing histamines, etc. (As a new non-smoker, my lungs and bronchii have much more to do to right now than a non-smoker with allergic asthma)

The next week, I had another flare up and decided to go the route of medications (inhalers, anti-histamines, allergy meds) instead of the salt water. The improvement in my breathing from this cocktail of medicinal chemicals was LESS than it was with the water. All this medication and I was still over-producing histamines, mucous, phlegm, wheezing and suffering congestion. The only difference was that I could feel those damn strings of phlegm vibrate in my bronchii when I forcefully exhaled instead of just feeling myself wheeze because the medications were keeping my airways more opened. I was not, however, expelling more phlegm or feeling it dissipate. Can you imagine having your airways opened only to feel like they are covered in tacky glue? That's what I felt like with the meds and not enough water in my body.

I am now taking my meds and using the water cure while my body goes through this smokers detox and this seems to be helping considerably. I know that proper hydration will contribute to a speedy recovery from all this.

Based on my experiences, which to me were dramatic, I bought this book. I totally support the importance of water for health.

As a side note, I work in a hospital and I see patients all the time that are given saline fluid (salt water fluid) through an IV needle because they are dehydrated and do not know it. On average, the better hydrated ones only voluntarily take in about 36 oz of fluid (This is about 1 quart) per 24 hours (and some of that is coffee!) and most never, ever drink water. This, combined with the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables (which contribute to hydration in our bowels during digestion) --- honestly - all the while, these patients would swear up and down to you that they aren't thirsty at all!

Can you imagine someone telling you that you are only going to have 1 quart of fluid per day? You would tell them they were crazy, wouldn't you? And yet, this is what we do to ourselves without thinking about it.

Life is sustained by what we nourish our bodies with. When did good health become more complicated than this?

We all know that we should drink 8 glasses of water a day and this book explains why. The book is based on the paradigm shift that it is water that governs all funtions of the body, not the solid matter. Previously, it was assumed that water (the solvent) was only a means of transport for the more vital solute. Because water makes up 75% of our bodies and it is vital to every function, Dr. "Batman" says, dehydration is the cause of many ailments, from depression to high blood pressure to insomnia, to headaches. He says a dry mouth is one of the last signs of dehydration. The solution, therefore, is simple-- just drink water. He says that many of these ailments are often treated with medications, which therefore are really only treating the symptom and not the cause, not to mention that side-effects are added with meds.

As other reviewers have mentioned, his last chapter on AIDS seems out of place in this book. I didn't read the book all the way through, preferring to just skim through it because of its detailed and technincal nature. You may not want to read it at all and just prefer to take his, and the reviewers', word for it and simply drink more water. I give the idea a solid 5 stars but I give the book 4 stars because of the style and structure of the writing. I think it could have used an index, as well as info on water impurities such as what is really in tap water and whether it might be good to buy a water filter since the reader will be drinking so much of the stuff. I've read info about bottled water that wasn't even included here. They say bottled water is no better than tap water, and actually often contains more germs. Also, it costs many times more than tap water.

I'm sure his idea of water works on animals and plants too. Make sure your pets get plenty of water and your houseplants/ garden as well. I know someone who has a swimming pool with bushes on both sides of it. On one side, a hill leads down to the bushes, on the other side, the hill goes down from the bushes. The bushes that are on the bottom of the hill have significantly more growth and look healthier, greener. It's because the hill draws more water towards them, while on the other side of the pool, the water is pulled away from the bushes by the hill.